I hope this book has pictures of the author...LOL!

So Tamara has picked our next book.  We are stepping away from the Fiction world into the land of Self Help!  We are reading How to Get Out of Your Own Way by Tyrese Gibson, and Lord please let him have included some picutures of himself!  Check out the synopsis below:

Actor, singer, songwriter Tyrese Gibson crafts a memoir filled with every emotion and life experience one could possibly imagine. With personal experiences paired with reflective questions based on his extremely popular blog piece, "The Love Circle", Tyrese hopes to inspire readers to pursue their dreams and not let life's obstacles stand in the way.

HOW TO GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY is organized into a series of fundamental questions that helped Tyrese redefine who he was as a human being, and evolve into a new man. Tyrese stresses that life becomes infinitely richer when one takes the time to know him or herself and understand the true meaning of peace and fulfillment. This book is a guide to helping yourself, using his experiences as a learning tool. "It's not about talking down to people, it's about elevating them," Tyrese says. 

Some of Tyrese's chapter-based questions include: How much do you love yourself? How much do you want for yourself? Why do men cheat? What is your bottom line? Are you ready for the next level?

Ooohhhh.  And there he is...But really, I am interested to hear what the brother has to say too.  Meeting is set for September 16th!  Let' go!

I just want to be your L.O.V.E.R. Girl!

And now we are official...Why on earth did it take us a year to come up with a name?  Stephanie went on a family cruise and met some ladies in a book club as was told we MUST have a name.  And I agree.  I'm a dork, so I want to have shirts and bags and I'm so in agrement with Tamara that we need to enter our group in the 4th of July Parade.  It was a group effort but we came up with the name L.O.V.E.R. Girlz.  The Lover stands for League Of Very Extraordinary Readers...I think it's pretty darn cool!  And...I've come up with a logo...in the words of Tamara..."Let me find out!"

Catching Up

Wow!  If you read the Blog, you will have noticed that there has been an absence of words...okay lets be honest, I haven't bloged in like a year!  But we have been reading!!!  So let's catch up...

First Book (Shay's pick) The Help by Katheryn Stockett

Then we read...32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter (Tamara's pick)

Next we read The Shack by William P. Young (Steph's pick)

And then (Shanika's pick) The Coldest Winter Ever by Sistah Souljah

And then on to Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (Nikela's pick)

And finally we kicked off our 1 year aniversary with another pick by me The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Wow!  Now that's some awesome reading...What were your thoughts on the books for the first go round?

Almost There

So I'm in the final chapters of the book and to be quite honest I don't want to be done.  It was really a good read.  The other reason I don't want to be done is because I've emotionally invested myself in these fictional womens lives...I don't want to know the ending!  I don't know if it ends good or bad.  I'm kind of weird like that.  I'll let you know how it goes...

I'm Going In!

So I started reading The Help on Saturday.  I've gotten back into the habit rather easily, reading in the bed, reading on the sofa, ignoring my poor husband cause I'm reading.  Reading and reading.  Matter of fact, I'm on page 160 something or another.  I've already formed some kind of bond with the characters.  Have you?  I like Aibeline just cause, I love Minny because she's way too funny, and the jury is still out on Sketter.  That figures... So here are a few questions to contemplate to youself for further discussion:

1.  Who is your favorite character and why?

2.  Knowing that racism is embeded in fear, who do you think are more racisist the black ladies in the novel or the white?

3.  What's the difference between racism and prejudice?

ENJOY!

The Help

Okay...So I've got my ladies on board, set a date and chosen a book.  We are going to read The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  It intrigued me because it seems to be a story about women, about friendships, and about race.  Ohhhhhh!  I'm hoping it will be good.  There are 3 main characters and they all lead very different lives.  Sounds like my vast circle of friends.  Check out the synopsis below: 

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.


Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

I'm super excited to start this read, I'm getting my book and starting this weekend!

Starting Something...

So, Today I sent out an email to 11 friends, sorors, and family members asking them to join a nameless book club.  Will there be any takers?  Who knows.  But I'm inspired.  And excited.  I have big things planned for this group.  Even if it's just a few.  I just want to read, like I used to.  I'm already planning my first meeting.  I'm going to have themed meeting.  Can't wait!  Now to pick a book!